The London Assembly has condemned the proposed plans of Westbrook Partners in raising the rents of residents on the New Era estate in Hoxton, just before Christmas.
The motion, which was agreed today, calls on Westbrook Partners to either continue to provide the homes at affordable levels, or to sell the housing to a reputable housing association.
It also calls on the Mayor of London to lobby the Government to make the wider rental system both fair and stable, as well as asking him to explore issuing a Compulsory Purchase Order on the site, with a view to reselling onto a social landlord.
Tom Copley AM, who proposed the motion, said:
“The New Era case shows that soft-touch regulation of the rental market just isn’t working. We need to see better statutory protection for renters including longer tenancies and caps on rent increases which would protect against this kind of abuse.
“The Mayor needs to do everything he can to help residents on the New Era Estate. Without action the Mayor will be leaving renters across London at the mercy of profiteering landlords like Westbrook Partners.”
The full text of the motion is:
“This Assembly condemns the actions of Westbrook Partners in their approach to the New Era estate in Hoxton. We believe it is entirely unacceptable that this community, with many long-standing tenants including many key workers, can be subjected to such practices, with many facing extreme rent hikes that will make it impossible for them to remain in their homes beyond Christmas.
“This Assembly urges the owners, Westbrook Partners, to either continue renting homes at affordable rents or sell the estate to a reputable and willing housing association. Given the restrictions placed on the London Borough of Hackney as a result of the arbitrary cap on Housing Revenue Account borrowing, we also urge the Mayor of London to explore what legal options are available to the GLA to issue a Compulsory Purchase Order for the estate, with a view to selling it to a reputable social landlord.
“Fundamentally, however, this Assembly notes that the treatment of tenants on the New Era estate highlights why we need reform of the private rented sector. As a minimum, we believe the Mayor should be lobbying the Government to introduce on a statutory basis longer-term tenancies with predictable rent rises and ending no fault eviction.”
Notes to editors:
The motion was agreed by 13 votes for to 5 against at a meeting of the full Assembly today.
Tom Copley AM who proposed the motion is available for interviews. Please see contact details below.
Watch the webcast.
As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For more details, please contact Ash Singleton in the Assembly Media Office on 020 7983 5769. For out-of-hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit, Greater London Authority, on 020 7983 4100.